When tarot readings don’t resonate

What do you do when a tarot reading doesn't resonate? How can you get over the fear of being wrong as a tarot reader?

One of the biggest things that stops tarot readers from putting themselves out there is the fear of being wrong:

“What if my tarot reading doesn’t resonate with the querent?”

“What if my interpretation is wrong?”

“What if they ask me something I’m not able to answer?”

Reading tarot for others can be a vulnerable experience as a tarot reader, especially when you start reading for total strangers.

And sometimes, readers put themselves out there and it starts off okay…but then they get blocked by a challenging reading, or feel thrown off by a difficult querent.

Experiences like that can put you back at square one, especially if they cause you to question whether everything up until then was just a fluke.

Here’s the thing: Every tarot reading is going to be unique to a certain extent. Because every person you read for is going to be living their own path, and is going to have specific needs, goals, and desires.

Even if their questions are similar to what other people are asking. So often, readings revolve around the same core themes: work and relationships, fulfillment and security, boundaries and needs, to name a few.

But every reading is going to have its own angle, its own specificity. Because reading about fulfillment for someone at 25 might look a lot different than at 65.

Reading tarot pushes us to talk about the same cards in different ways every time.

We want to find consistency in the cards’ messages, but life experiences are not consistent, and so we have to leave room for variety in our interpretations.

And that can feel a bit scary when you’re starting to read for others.

But it’s also a great learning curve to embrace.

As a tarot reader, you can stay grounded in certain practices that will help you experience more consistency (and in turn, confidence) in your readings. Here are some things to keep in mind if you worry that your readings aren’t resonating:

Stay centered on the purpose of the reading. Why are you doing this reading? What is the querent hoping to get out of it? Why are you reading tarot?

More often than not, people seek out tarot readings because they want clarity about something.

I often ask querents what their goal is for the reading: “What are you hoping to take away from this today?” rather than assume to know what they want. Likewise, I am aware that querents make a lot of assumptions about what a reader will do for them.

Taking a moment to get on the same page as each other can help bring readers and querents into alignment, and increase the odds of delivering a reading that resonates.

Stick to trusted techniques. Sometimes we get off course in our readings because we’re trying to do too many things in one go.

Reversals, clarifier cards, big spreads, small spreads, new spreads, or custom spreads. Astrology, numerology, crystals …

There are so many tarot techniques out there, and so many other systems that could be layered into a reading.

You don’t have to know every tarot spread out there. Learn one or two that you can reliably work with.

Same with tarot techniques. Sometimes I see readers change things up on the fly: One day they read reversals, the next day they don’t. Sometimes they pull three cards, other days they pull five just based on a hunch…

If a go-with-the-flow approach is causing you to feel confused, or you’re getting mixed results by changing your practice too often, I recommend paring back, and developing a consistent approach.

Stretch yourself with different types of questions, and different querents.

Even though my preference is to do readings that are self-reflective and advice-driven, I also do a lot of predictive work. Why? Because a big part of my client base comes for predictive readings.

Likewise, when I started reading professionally, I thought I would be doing a lot of philosophical, spiritual readings that would go deep into my querents’ souls and psyches. But I soon learned that people had questions about everyday life:

How to handle prickly co-workers, how to transition careers, how to make a dull marriage exciting again.

People seek out tarot for all kinds of reasons. Learning to become a well-rounded reader, who can answer many types of questions – from the mundane to the extraordinary – will allow you to stay flexible in your practice and work with as many people as possible.

And in turn, your confidence will grow because you will know how to read your cards in any situation.

If you are ready to learn how to give insightful, accurate love and career readings – the two most common, everyday reasons people hire tarot readers – my Work and Relationship Readings Masterclass is now open for enrollment.

Until next time,

Liz